OV7670 VGA CMOS Camera Module (640x480, SCCB Interface)

A compact image sensor for embedded vision projects

The OV7670 is described as a precise, small, high-sensitivity, low-voltage CMOS image sensor module built for capturing and processing images in embedded applications. It operates via SCCB (Serial Camera Control Bus), a simple two-wire protocol used to configure the sensor's settings in software, and it can output a full frame, sampling, or various resolutions of 8-bit image data depending on how it's configured.

At its native VGA resolution of 640 x 480 (0.3 megapixels), it can output frames at up to a maximum of 30 frames per second, and the sensor includes automatic exposure control, automatic gain, automatic white balance, and automatic black-level calibration, all of which reduce the manual tuning typically needed to get a clean image from a raw image sensor.

Specifications and output flexibility

It runs on an IO voltage of 2.5V to 3.0V, with operating power of just 60mW at 15fps in VGA YUV mode, making it suitable for embedded and portable applications where power budget matters. Additional features include lens shading correction, automatic 50/60Hz flicker detection, and support for scaling the image down from CIF resolution all the way to 40x30 pixels for very low-resolution needs.

Output format flexibility is broad, supporting Raw RGB data, several RGB variants, YUV, and YCbCr in 4:2:2 format, giving a project the choice of format that best matches whatever image processing pipeline it's feeding into. Lens size is 1/6 inch with a 25-degree viewing angle, signal-to-noise ratio is 46dB, and the PCB itself measures about 1.4 by 1.4 inches (3.5 x 3.5cm), with an operating temperature range of -30C to 70C.

Who it suits

Hobbyists and embedded developers building a low-resolution vision project, a simple surveillance camera, or an image-processing experiment on a microcontroller or FPGA will find the OV7670's automatic exposure and flexible output formats a practical starting point, without needing to build image correction logic from scratch.

Questions buyers ask

What resolution does it support?

640 x 480 (VGA), at up to 30fps.

How is it configured?

Through the SCCB (Serial Camera Control Bus) interface.